RUN, JONATHAN, RUN!
It is given in certain circles, whether adversarial or friendly, that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, will contest next year's presidential election. Only a force majeure will prevent him! In which case, political foes in the like of General Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Ahmed Tinubu-who is believed to have sold out already-and babbling Nasir el-Rufai will throw a big bash to celebrate such an occurrence.
But if Jonathan declines of his own volition not to contest, some of my friends in the Niger Delta have suggested he should remain in Abuja for the rest of his life in Abuja for selling a collective birthright, either out of fear of the intimidating North (in this case what has been aptly described as Gideon Orkar's North), or simply because he wants to be the new Mandela from Nigeria.
If he toes the foregoing path, he would also have disappointed the vast Christian North that sees in him a pathfinder for this oppressed group and a hope that one day, if not today, the stifling hegemony of a parasitic, power hungry minority would have been crushed forever. Head or tail, life or death, Nigeria or no Nigeria, Jonathan would have to contest.
With his 1984 draconian military regime still fresh in their mind, no sane member of the northern elite-except el-Rufai- trusts Buhari, but politics requires this elite to put up a face in support of him, while secretly undermining him; and yet there is no credible alternative to him. It should be recalled that the same el-Rufai, when he was a minister in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled Federal Government, wrote off Buhari as unelectable.
Rabiu Kwankwaso is just a noisy non-starter who, by his treachery against the PDP, the people of Kano in foisting a rabid extremist as frontline traditional ruler (the ruler is believed to have presided over the murder of innocent citizens during past religious riots in that ancient city and a former head of state almost caged him for it), and his irredentist credentials, is a dangerous gamble for a now sensitive Nigeria.
Members of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) are almost hysterical, without saying so in black and white, that Goodluck Jonathan should contest. Along with a rash of credible, incredible, and less credible persons and groups, the organisation and its members are asking Jonathan to throw his hat into the ring.
However, the greatest credible organization to support the President is his party, the PDP, which is clearly heads and shoulders above other opposition parties. It appears the clock is ticking for the demise of the APC as some of its members are creating fall back platforms if the imminent break-up of the party comes as every doomsday prophet has predicted.
Truth is, only a miracle can keep the APC together after its primaries, and whatever may be left of it may just be a sub-regional gang of screeching night crickets. Buhari, the only near-credible hopeful of the party, watches on as political strategists and moneyed men in his party dance round him. He knows, in the deep recesses of his heart, that his last ditch effort to be president can only come to pass if Heaven sanctions it, but those who daily knock on Heaven's door insist he is not the one.
His former political foe turned-boy who desperately wants to ride on his back and popularity to be Kaduna Governor-el-Rufai- appears to be the strongest fan club member, who does not hesitate to insult even principalities to have his way. The other day he said even if Satan becomes an Islamist he would not become a member of the PDP, as if his own Satan is not resident in that hellish enclave.
In the midst of the political machinations, steps in the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, that endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan to run for a second term in office. Its leader, Yinka Gbadebo, with the National Executive members, on a visit to Mama Peace at the Presidential Villa, passed a vote of confidence in her husband and gave the First Lady a certificate of credence for her pursuit of peace and empowerment of women and the youth.
While the credibility of the students' leaders may be questioned in this foray into the political arena instead of being in classes for their lectures, they cannot be faulted in their commendation of Dame Patience Jonathan, who has done more for women than all the flamboyant ones before her.
On Jonathan, the students said: “As pragmatic and visionary Nigerians, we can see through the veil of distraction and boldly applaud the Goodluck administration for infrastructural and social transformation. We have unflinchingly determined to put all political detractors and evil geniuses to shame in 2015 by giving Mr President the singular and total support of all Nigerian students. As a united association, all students have been mandated to cast their votes for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to emerge victorious and continue the good works of transformation.”
Apparently toeing the line of TAN, though mischief makers suggest they are in it to line their pockets, knowing that Jonathan will win any elections in Nigeria now, NANS says it has floated the Nigerian Students Transformation Vanguard to pursue Jonathan's re-emergence in 2015. NANS applauded the President for always being on the side of students, noting that he had appointed six past NANS leaders in his administration. They include: the Ministers of Information and Education, Labaran Maku and Ibrahim Shekarau; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students and Youth matters, Jude Imagwe.
Dame Jonathan used the opportunity to take a swipe at adversarial groups while expressing her love and support for NANS for consistent constructive engagement on national issues, “especially at this time when some Nigerians take advantage of every situation without concern for national security.”
Read her: “This really shows that our youths are coming of age and that they can be relied upon in the task of nation building…. Today, our youths in the tertiary institutions are hard-working and are hopeful of a better future for this country, in spite of our challenges. Your organisation should continue to champion the cause of peace in our nation as no nation progresses in an atmosphere of insecurity.
“As students, you cannot stay in school if there is no peace. Therefore do not allow anyone to use you as agents of destabilisation. You must resist the temptation of being used by politicians as thugs during elections. You should learn to be patriotic and not be a willing tool in the hands of those bent on sowing seeds of discord among our people. As mothers, we are praying for you because we love you, you are our future, our hope. You must therefore remember the children of whom you are and face your studies squarely.”
If Dame Patience used this latest open window to do a shout-out for her husband, it still leaves the question on many lips unattended to; when will the defending champion of this leg of the democracy do the needful and tell the world his intention for the 2015 election? Meantime, the pressure in him to run in the presidential race continues to mount.
Written by Nicholas Ikejiani.
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